Car-brake.



No. 7||,9|5. Patented oct. 2|, |902.

n. H. wAKEMAN.

CAR BRAKE.

(Applicnxinn med Aug 25, 1900. neng-wed Mar. 27, 1902.,

7" v5 f? E G G HHH {IIIIIHIIHHI 0 G (No Model.)

,'//////m\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u\mm E' mug/Hummlumnummm A l m\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ mumfmmm O IHIIM IiHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII i2 Z' L l UNITED STATES RUDOLPH I'I. VAKEMAN, OF BROCKROAD, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF SIXTY FER CENT. TO VIN D. WILLIAMS,

OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. I711,915, dated.v October 21, 1902. Application iiled August 25, 1900. Renewed March 27, 1902. Serial No. 100,311. (No model.)

T a/ZZ whom. it indy concern.:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH I-I. WAKE- uAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockroad, in the county of Spottsylvania and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledV in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in car-brakes.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and effective brake mechanism by means of which apowerful braking pressure may be applied to the car-wheels with a minimum expenditure of force and the powerof one of the car-axles utilized for applying the brakes; and to this end the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a car-truck embodying my invention, showing one of the cone clutch-rings in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a section through the wheels,cone clutch-rings,and clutch sleeves or drums on one of the axles.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 3 5 A in the drawings represents the wheeltruck frame; B and B', the front and rear sets of wheels; C and C', the front and rear axles; and D and D the front and :rear brakebeams, carrying the brake-shoes E and E,

adapted to act, respectively, upon said front and rear sets of wheels.

In carrying my invention into practice I apply to the inner face of each of the wheels B a clutch-ring F, havinga conical-shaped opening f, which rings are bolted or otherwise detachably connected, so that an old ring when Worn may be readily removed and a new ring substituted therefor. With these rings coperate a pair of clutch sleeves or 5o drums G and G', slidably mounted upon the axle Gand having conical outer ends g, which are adapted to enter the said conical openings in the clutch-rings to frictionally conneet said rings and sleeves together. The sleeves slide in opposite directions andare formed or provided at their inner ends with anges or heads g and at their outer ends with stop-flanges g2, which are adapted to abut against the rings F and limit the outward movement of the sleeves. Arranged be- 6o tween the heads g is an approximately ellipticalshaped operating wedge or head H, mounted upon the lower end of a vertical shaft I, extending upwardly from the truckframe and provided at its upper end with a handle, hand-wheel, or other suitable operating device located so as to be conveniently operated from the platform of the car. When the parts are in their normal positions with the brakes o, the wedge or head H lies 7o with its major axis lying in a direction longitudinally of the car and transversely ofthe car-axle C, as shown in Fig. l; but by turning said wedge to the right or left the extremities thereof may be brought to bear upon the heads g' to force the clutch-sleeves apart, and this action may be continued until the wedge has assumed a position at right angles to its normal position with its major axis lying vlongitudinally of the axle C, 8o whereby the sleeves may be clutched to the wheels, as hereinafter described.

The clutch-sleeves G and G are each connected to the brake-beams D and D' by a branched chain J, having two outer sections j andj and two inner sectionsjK2 and js, coupled by an intermediate ring or link j4. The free ends of the sections j and j are connected to hooks or projections k and la upon diametrically opposite sides of the clutch-sleeves, 9o while the section f is connected to the outer side of the brake-beam D and the section js passed over a pulley or friction-roller Z, carried by a bracket m. upon the truckframe and connected to the inner sideof the brakebeam D'. By this constructionand arrangement of parts the brake-shoes are adapted to be simultaneously applied to both sets of wheels and the clutch-sleeves or drums to draw alike on the beams either way the car roo may be running.

The operation is as follows: Fig. l shows the normal positions of the parts with the brakes off. When it is desired to apply the brakes, the shaft I is operated to turn the Wedge or head H at right angles to the posi' tion shown in said gure With its major axis lying longitudinally of the axle C, whereupon p brakes, and the sole extraneous force or labor employed is merely that required for turning the wedge or head H, and this is the case no matter in what direction the car may be running. To release the brakes, it is simply necessary to turn the head or wedge H back to its normal position, (shown in Fig. 1,) and upon the movement of the wheels the clutchsleeves will be retracted and the brake-beams will move back and withdraw the brakeshoes from engagement with the Wheels. To insure a positive retraction of the parts and obviate all liability of hanging, springs may be employed to act upon the clutch-sleeves and brake-beams, and other changes in the form, proportion, and details of construction may be made within the scope of the in vention without departing from the spirit or saerificing any of the advantages thereof.

It will be seen that my improved brake mechanism is simple in construction, powerful in action, and may be applied to cars a1- ready in use without material change in the running-gear thereof.

Having thus f ully described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. In a brake mechanism, the combination of an axle, wheels mounted thereon, clutch members applied to the wheels,clutch devices slidably mounted on the axle, brake-beams, connections between the brake-beams and the respective slidably-mounted clutch devices, a head interposed between the said slidablymounted clutch devices, and means for actuating said head to force the slidably-mounted clutch devices apart and into engagement with the clutch' members on the wheels, substantially as set forth.

2. In a brake mechanism, the combination with an axle and wheels, of clutch members upon the wheels, cooperating clutch members slidably mounted upon the axle, brake mechanism operated by said clutch members on the axle, and an elliptical-shaped wedge or head for forcing the clutch members of the axle apart and into engagement with the clutch members on the wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof IA affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUDOLPH H. WAKEMAN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. C. ROWLETT, R. LEE STOFFREGEN. 

